HI --
 
Jennifer (Scarlet L.) asked about Essiac:
 
Essiac is a compound of
        - Burdock Root
        - Slippery Elm
        - Sheep Sorrel
        -Turkey Rhubarb
 
When my Mom had cancer, she asked her doctor about essiac; he looked at
the ingredients and told her that she had "no dietary restrictions",
which was his way of saying it was OK to take it, but that he didn't want
to be quoted as recommending it.
 
The slippery elm is good for settling the stomach and soothing the throat
(it's in a lot of cough medicine and stomach medicines).  The sheep
sorrel is high in oxalic acid which could be a concern if there have been
urinary problems.  The rhubarb is a bowel irritant and can cause diarrhea
(that's one reason the slippery elm is in there); the percentage of
rhubarb should be adjusted if this happens.  The burdock is supposed to
be the most active anti-cancer component.
 
Always remember -- if a remedy works, then it can be dangerous under
the wrong circumstances.  It doesn't matter if it is a licensed drug or
"just" an herbal conconcoction.  As someone (Sukie?) pointed out a couple
of weeks ago, even normal food had drug-like effects under the right
circumstances.  (I have a lovely book of drug interactions that has a
whole chapter devoted to food/drug interactions).  Best thing is to check
with your vet.  And maybe this site will give the vets on this list
enough info to form an opinion, if they don't have the info already:
http://essiac-info.org/
 
By the way, essiac is the original compound researched by Rene Caisse;
Essiac is a trademarked name for the same compound.
 
Hope this helps.
 
Claire
Now up to five -- three of my own and two fosters. Welcome, Lilo!
[Posted in FML issue 4244]